Which Old Ford Tractor??

   / Which Old Ford Tractor?? #1  

BotaTrac

Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2018
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30
Location
Hogwarts Academy
Tractor
Kubota BX25D, Kubota L305DT
I was with a friend last week at an equipment auction and saw an old Ford 8N go for $900.00. The price didn't capture my attention at all. It was the lines on the sheet metal and the sound of that gasoline engine. That night, I was looking at YouTube and saw the 2N, 8N, 9N and the '53 NAA Golden Jubilee. I think I'm in love and I want one to completely tear down and rebuild.........Ford Red Tiger Engine and all. I also think I like the 641 and 841 respectively. No matter what I get, it's main purpose will be show but I don't own anything that doesn't start right up and run like it should.

All that said, my question is - which one should I buy and why? Should I get one with the Sherman Hi/Low tranny? What should I be wary of and what should I upgrade during the restoration? I'm very curious and would really love to see some pictures from guys who have gone this way before me. Thanx in advance........:)
 
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   / Which Old Ford Tractor?? #2  
I was with a friend last week at an equipment auction and saw an old Ford 8N go for $900.00. The price didn't capture my attention at all. It was the lines on the sheet metal and the sound of that gasoline engine. That night, I was looking at YouTube and saw the 2N, 8N, 9N and the '53 NAA Golden Jubilee. I think I'm in love and I want one to completely tear down and rebuild.........Ford Red Tiger Engine and all. I also think I like the 641 and 841 respectively. No matter what I get, it's main purpose will be show but I don't own anything that doesn't start right up and run like it should.

All that said, my question is - which one should I buy and why? Should I get one with the Sherman Hi/Low tranny? What should I be wary of and what should I upgrade during the restoration? I'm very curious and would really love to see some pictures from guys who have gone this way before me. Thanx in advance........:)
Join the 2n 8n 9n facebook page, you will get swamped with rebuild photos.
 
   / Which Old Ford Tractor?? #3  
I was born on a North Texas farm and operated multiple N,NAA,Hundred and Thousand series Fords. In 1965 we bought 4020 Deeres to do the heavy lifting and by popular opinion,kept an 801 Powermaster(841) with 4 speed w/3 speed Sherman. Tractors got larger,came and went until we stopped farming but I still have the 841 on my small acreage. Something we discussed changing but never got around to was taking propane off and putting it on gasoline. Now that gasoline has Ethanol,I'm sure glad we never took it off propane. Why? Because propane can sit in a tank and fuel system for 10 years and be just as good as the day it was refined. That is a real benefit when an engine isn't used a lot. I mention this because market price on propane tractors is up to 25% below gasoline. In the event you are on the fence,I can fill you in on what it take's to refuel. Since they are much improved and command higer re-sale plus it require's the same labor and parts to restore,I recccomend any of the hundred and Thousand series over Ns and NAA. Jubs and NAAs are head and shoulders better than Ns,Hundeds are better than NAAs and eventhough they have a blue belly,Thousands are remarkably improved over Hundreds. Sherman on anything is worth it's weight in gold. The day you make your final decision,pick up a I&T Shop Manual for your chosen model. Select-O-Speed is nice but it's difficult finding a mechanic. Live PTO available on Thousands and a few hundreds is very desiriable. Good luck.
 
   / Which Old Ford Tractor?? #4  
This is my dream Ford tractor. Someday I will have one.
 

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   / Which Old Ford Tractor?? #5  
If I had not found the 1966 3000 diesel I would have considered the 800 series with a 5 speed and double clutch. Hopefully we will make progress getting the Ford 711 with two way control of the bucket curling installed. Clearly if I had the money and a place to store it that red 800 would be my "new" dream tractor. Finding people who can reseal the rear axle when they start leaking on the brake shoes so they will last another 30-50 years and rebuilt the power steering controls back to like new condition I am finding is hard and if you do not cheap.

We just picked up Rusty the 1980 3600 diesel because he as basically one owner with 2288 hours but has set outside at least for the last 32 years. While it has the 8 speed transmission it still is very much like the 800 series.
 
   / Which Old Ford Tractor?? #6  
I grew up with a Ford 900 Wide Front end Diesel, and while it is 100% nostaligic in reasons why I liked it I admit, I should have never traded it in. I only got $1500 for it anyway, but it was just a nice tractor.

Geared perfectly for only a 4 speed
Had 3 Point Hitch
Good power to weight ratio
Capable with a loader with good tires and counterweight
DRAFT CONTROL...is was a dream to plow with

Admittedly nostalgic, but nonetheless...
 
   / Which Old Ford Tractor?? #7  
I had a 1949 8N for about 16 years. My father in law convinced me to get one. A darn good little tractor for it's size and simple to work on and easy to find parts. In that time I had a chance to figure out what Ford I wanted that would better fit my needs and decided I wanted an 861 or 661. To my luck I found an '59 861 Diesel for sale a few years ago. It had some hidden surprises for me in the first 2 hours extended operation that cost me extra money in parts & my labor. I am still happy with my choice of The 861D model, now that I got most of the problems fixed that the seller failed to disclose. It has the 5 speed transmission that first gear is much slower than my 8N was. Someone can slowly walk beside this when in first. It has the dual clutch live PTO that can quickly be changed to a normal acting clutch with the change of a pin on the clutch rod. I love the fact that it is a diesel and I no longer have plugs, wires, points, condenser or a carburetor to fiddle with. It has proven to be much more dependable than the old 8N gasser. It is heavier and stronger than the little 8N was too. While it is a little more rare than Ns, I can still easily get most of the parts to keep her running long after I'm dead and gone. And it has the Red Tiger overhead valve engine. The N series engines were more like the early Ford car A model flathead engines.
11-15-14_861D 3.JPG
 
   / Which Old Ford Tractor??
  • Thread Starter
#9  
I was born on a North Texas farm and operated multiple N,NAA,Hundred and Thousand series Fords. In 1965 we bought 4020 Deeres to do the heavy lifting and by popular opinion,kept an 801 Powermaster(841) with 4 speed w/3 speed Sherman. Tractors got larger,came and went until we stopped farming but I still have the 841 on my small acreage. Something we discussed changing but never got around to was taking propane off and putting it on gasoline. Now that gasoline has Ethanol,I'm sure glad we never took it off propane. Why? Because propane can sit in a tank and fuel system for 10 years and be just as good as the day it was refined. That is a real benefit when an engine isn't used a lot. I mention this because market price on propane tractors is up to 25% below gasoline. In the event you are on the fence,I can fill you in on what it take's to refuel. Since they are much improved and command higer re-sale plus it require's the same labor and parts to restore,I recccomend any of the hundred and Thousand series over Ns and NAA. Jubs and NAAs are head and shoulders better than Ns,Hundeds are better than NAAs and eventhough they have a blue belly,Thousands are remarkably improved over Hundreds. Sherman on anything is worth it's weight in gold. The day you make your final decision,pick up a I&T Shop Manual for your chosen model. Select-O-Speed is nice but it's difficult finding a mechanic. Live PTO available on Thousands and a few hundreds is very desiriable. Good luck.

That helps A LOT. Maybe should be looking harder at the 600 and 800 series........
 
   / Which Old Ford Tractor??
  • Thread Starter
#10  
This is my dream Ford tractor. Someday I will have one.

I can see why! That is just a beautiful machine. Proof of how superior American engineering and manufacturing once was.....
 
 
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